In this excerpt from their latest “backgrounder” document (the full text is available at http://www.antiterrorlaw.ca) on Bill C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act 2015, the authors focus on the new powers the bill would grant the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

If Bill C-51 passes, CSIS will be expressly authorized to “take measures, within or outside Canada, to reduce” very broadly defined “threats to the security of Canada”. Where authorized by Federal Court warrant, these “measures” may “contravene a right or freedom guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” or may be “contrary to other Canadian law”.

The CSIS changes are dramatic, even radical. In 1984, parliamentarians granted CSIS a very broad mandate – found in the definition of “threat to the security of Canada” in s.2 of its Act – but were careful to accord it very limited powers. It has been an intelligence service – it collects and analyzes information and supplies assessments to the government. When enacted, Parliament accepted CSIS’s broad mandate because it lacked what we will call in this discussion “kinetic” or physical powers – the powers to do things to people in the physical world (except as necessary to, for example, install a wiretap or listening device).

That will change in Bill C-51. The government’s examples of what the new powers will mean for CSIS are mild, even innocuous. But in fact the only outer legal limit is surprisingly sparse: no bodily harm, no obstruction of justice and no violation of sexual integrity.

The bill superimposes a special warrant system of CSIS’s new powers. Where those activities would violate a law or the Charter, a Federal Court judge must approve them in advance by a warrant.

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The obvious thinking is that such a system simply builds on the conventional role of judges in issuing search warrants. But the analogy is approximate. In the world of search and seizure, judicial warrants are designed to prevent — not authorize — Charter violations. That is because the Charter privacy protection is qualified — the Charter protects against “unreasonable” searches and seizures and a search under a warrant is prima facie proper. “Unreasonable” typically means without warrant.

Other Charter rights are dramatically different. For instance, there is no concept of “unreasonable” cruel and unusual punishment. It is an absolute right — not qualified. Some rights — such as the right to freedom of expression — may have some internal limitations in their content (e.g., free expression does not reach threats of violence), but this is usually a matter decided by a court closely scrutinizing the scope of legislation against the behaviour protected by the right. All rights, such as the right of citizens to leave or come back to Canada, can be subject to reasonable limits under Section 1 of the Charter, but the restraint on the right is usually spelled out in advance in legislation. To imagine that a court can pre-authorize a violation of a right in response to an open-textured invitation to do so is to misunderstand entirely the way our constitution works, on a fundamental level.

We could be wrong in our construal of the law — and when we are, it is because courts will correct us. But any deliberation on this question, and on whether CSIS can exceed the law, will be conducted in a warrant proceeding. In other words, all these weighty legal deliberations will be done in secret, with only the judge and the government side represented. The person affected by the illegal activity will not be there — in fact they will likely never know who visited the misfortune on them. They cannot defend their rights. No civil rights group will be able to weigh in.

At best, a “special advocate” will be invited to defend the public interest (because a court insists on having that person present). This is a person, able to act only by themselves, trying to balance their special advocate work with their busy private practice, paid a fraction of their regular wage, unable to consult often with other special advocates, and sworn to secrecy . There is no equality of arms between special advocates and government lawyers/CSIS.

And more than that, there are now numerous review body reports and Federal Court decisions complaining that CSIS has failed to meet its duty of candour in closed door proceedings. It is very difficult to know whether these reports represent the sum total of CSIS shortcomings — a failure to be candid is something that is, by definition, very difficult to detect.

The ultimate court decision will generally not be public because of concerns its disclosure will adversely reveal ongoing operations and disruption methods. There will be no natural party able to appeal it. In the worst instance, we risk a secret jurisprudence on when CSIS can act beyond the law.

Our expectation is that the Federal Court will do its best to issue redacted versions of its cases, but it will be inventing the process as it goes. So too, any appeal will depend on ad hoc arrangements, and presumably also require a very earnest special advocate with the time and inclination to press matters.

Meanwhile, the Federal Court will not automatically know what is done under its authorization. Past experience suggests that what is authorized by the Federal Court and what is done by CSIS may not line up.

Everything will then depend on SIRC, CSIS’s review body. We have nothing but respect for those who work in SIRC, in very difficult circumstances. The fact is SIRC is an underfunded, understaffed review body. Its statutory powers have not kept pace with the reality of the security service it reviews. In 2006, the Arar Commission underscored the urgent necessity of new legislative tools allowing SIRC to coordinate with other review bodies and to expand its mandate. But still, even now, as the security services all collaborate, the review bodies are “stove-piped” and “siloed” by agency. Informal efforts by review bodies to coordinate are reportedly rebuffed by the government.

On top of these legal matters, we have administration of justice and “operational” concerns. These include the following:

• Criminal trials: CSIS’s operation and new powers are often “pre-criminal” and may overlap, affect and perhaps taint a subsequent RCMP investigation and evidentiary record. A criminal trial may be mired in questions arising from the Federal Court authorizations, its holdings in a potentially secretive Charter jurisprudence, and doubts about whether the CSIS operation contributed too or otherwise was associated with the crime at issue.

• Interaction with informer privilege: Bill C-44, now in the senate, will give CSIS “human sources” broad privilege from being compelled to be a Crown witness or having identifying information disclosed in court proceedings. Crown prosecutors may find this complicates and, quite likely, frustrates their witness list. Good defence lawyers will fight this proviso, especially when the first thing they suspect is that a CSIS kinetic operation lies at the heart of a subsequent criminal case. Disclosure disputes may make terrorism trials — already long and complex — even more difficult.

• Interaction with the RCMP: As we understand it, thus far “disruption” has been a peace officer function, linked to police investigations. Peace officers in these situations likely remain preoccupied with the effect their conduct might have in any future criminal proceedings, and concerned with reducing the chances that their disruption activities will lead to acquittals or stays on the basis of abuse of process in criminal trials. For cultural and institutional reasons, CSIS may not have the same concerns. How will CSIS and RCMP arrange their affairs so that CSIS’s kinetic activities do not undermine RCMP criminal investigations, either ongoing or prospective?

CSIS is a law-observant service, and adhering to legal expectations is an important part of its culture. Violations of the law are an aberration, not a pastime

• Institutional skills: CSIS is a security intelligence organization. If it gears up kinetic activities, it will presumably require skills and aptitudes that presently are not part of its arsenal. What plans are in place to acquire and resource and train these new kinetic operatives and operations? How will CSIS guard against agents recruited for kinetic operations themselves proving problematic?

• Institutional culture: CSIS is a law-observant service, and adhering to legal expectations is an important part of its culture. Violations of the law are an aberration, not a pastime. As the Service begins operations that, but for a Federal Court warrant, would be illegal, how will it ensure that its “black” operations do not contaminate the overall culture of the organization?

• Social licence: The world is rife with misunderstandings and conspiracy theories about spy services, including CSIS. With the new measures, many conspiracy theories move from the “implausible because require compounded illegal steps” to “within CSIS’s powers in principle”. There will be a consequence in terms of social licence for a clandestine service empowered to act in violation of the law and the Charter, especially in communities that feel targeted.

Since CSIS too depends on community cooperation to conduct many of its activities in security intelligence, there is a risk that is new powers may undermine its ability to exercise effectively its original mandate. In the final analysis, the increased scepticism and the new doubts about the Service stemming from the new powers may be the most dangerous aspect of this law proposal.

In sum, the government proposes radically restructuring CSIS and turning it into a “kinetic” service — one competent to act beyond the law. This is a rupture from the entire philosophy that animated the CSIS Act when it was introduced 30 years ago. We await convincing argument that it is truly warranted. This bill reaches much further in authorizing problematic CSIS conduct than required in any scenario we have seen raised by the government in justification. It amounts to an open ended authorization whose proper and reasonable application will depend on perfect government judgment. It violates, therefore, a cardinal principle we believe should be embedded in national security law: any law that grants powers (especially secret, difficult to review power) should be designed to limit poor judgment, not be a law whose reasonable application depends on excellent judgment.

But whatever the truth as to whether these powers are necessary , their introduction is irresponsible without a redoubled investment in our tattered accountability system. Anyone who has worked on accountability in the security sector knows that there is another core maxim in this area, when dealing with powerful, covert state agencies: “trust but verify”. We do not believe that that standard can be met at present, even without the new powers.

National Post

Kent Roach teaches at the University of Toronto law faculty and worked with both the Arar and Air India commissions. Craig Forcese is a law professor teaching national security law at the University of Ottawa and a participant in the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society.

In June of 2013, heavy floods hit the town of High River, Alta. The waters rose quickly, forcing the entire population of 13,000 to flee for their lives. It was a genuine disaster, and one that required swift action by local rescue teams, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Armed Forces. Hundreds of people were lifted to safety, and the entire town left effectively deserted within three days of the order to evacuate.

This should have been a success story. But after the evacuation order was lifted, residents were shocked to discover that, while they were gone, police had entered their homes and removed hundreds of firearms — including properly licenced guns stored in full compliance with the terms of the Firearms Act.

The public understands why, during an emergency, rescue teams, police officers and military personnel may need to enter private homes, if they are to be thorough in their searches of disaster areas. But for the RCMP to have removed — “seized,” as the force said in a press release at the time — guns that had been securely locked away, out of sight in closets and drawers, went well beyond checking for survivors or stranded pets.

It seemed then, as it does now, an outrageous breach of public trust — police taking an opportunity to snoop through people’s private homes and seize their property under the cover of an emergency. This week, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP concluded the same. In its long-awaited report into the affair it found that the police had indeed acted unlawfully.

The report acknowledged the RCMP was legally permitted to enter private residences, including by force when necessary, as part of rescue operations; likewise, that officers were legally permitted, without need of a warrant, to seize any firearms found lying around in plain sight, i.e., that were not properly secured as required by the law.

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However, it found that some of the searches of homes went beyond the scope of legitimate rescue operations. Indeed, it found that on some occasions officers re-entered homes that had already been searched for survivors specifically to seize firearms that had been spotted during prior searches. Without a warrant, these constituted unlawful searches and seizures. What is more, it found that the RCMP failed to report these warrantless seizures, even the legal ones, to a justice of the peace, as required by law.

The public does not expect perfection during an emergency. Police and rescue crews had a tough job to do and little time to do it. But the public has a right to expect that emergency responders will stay, barring the most extreme circumstances, within the law — certainly that they will not take advantage of the situation to go through the personal, lawfully held property of private citizens.

The RCMP got a great deal right in High River two years ago. But they must also acknowledge, and learn from, this serious failure.

Less than a week before Canada Day 2013, accused terrorists John Nuttall and Amanda Korody are heard on surveillance video calmly discussing targets for a terrorist attack, including the celebrations at the legislature in Victoria.

On Wednesday, the Crown played more video of an RCMP undercover officer meeting with the Surrey couple to discuss plans to carry out an ideologically-motivated attack.

During the June 25 meeting, Nuttall suggests that the Canada Day celebrations would make a good target for Islamic jihad.

There’s going to be thousands and thousands of people. There’ll be fireworks and a symphony and a laser show

“There’s going to be thousands and thousands of people. There’ll be fireworks and a symphony and a laser show.”

Nuttall tells the undercover officer that he wants to get to Victoria a day early so that they can drive around, ensuring that everything is ready for the attack. He also says he wants to do a reconnaissance prior to the attack and carry out a test for the bombs.

Earlier he mentions several other possible targets, including a ferry that travels from Seattle to Victoria, enabling them to attack American tourists coming to Vancouver Island.

He also suggests an attack on a military base, using a car as a weapon, and refers to a “shopping list” of materials he’s brought along to the meeting that are needed to make a bomb.

Felicty Don/ Canadian PressIn this artist's sketch, John Nuttall (left) and Amanda Korody appear in court in Vancouver, Monday. Feb.2, 2015. Nuttall and Korody were arrested in July 2013 and charged with four counts, including conspiring to commit murder and conspiring to place explosives on behalf of a terrorist group. THE CANADIAN PRESS/na020315-hutch

The undercover officer tells Nuttall not to worry about guns or explosives, just the other materials needed to construct the bombs.

Korody, who was seated in the back seat of the undercover vehicle, told the officer that the police would know who they are.

“They’re going to come after us and kill us,” says Korody, who also suggested that they set the bombs to go off 12 hours in advance, allowing them time to leave the island.

“We can leave the island before they go off,” says Nuttall.

The Surrey couple have pleaded not guilty to charges that they conspired to detonate bombs at the legislature building on July 1, 2013.

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In the videos being played for a jury in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Nuttall talks about wanting to have sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades that they could use to do “serious” damage to their enemies.

“I’m at the point in my life where I’m living second-to-second because I expect to be killed or imprisoned and tortured and so does my wife, and we accept that because these people are so evil.”

At one point, he tells the undercover officer, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, that he wouldn’t have any qualms about killing Americans.

“I hate Americans.”

Nuttall, a recent convert to Islam, says he wants to be “instantly teleported” to Jannah, the Islamic concept of paradise.

“I can hang out with the prophets. Most important, I’m going to get to meet Allah … you can look down at the mayhem you have caused the enemy.”

Nuttall talks about wanting to be a “martyr” — similar to a suicide bomber, noting a suicide bomber “has no escape.”

On a more personal note, Nuttall says his wife, Korody, is always talking about jihad.

“I’m lucky because my obligation is to my wife and my wife wants jihad. I could have a child and carry on my name and all that, but that’s just being selfish.”

It’s clear that the couple are financially broke because as they are about to leave the vehicle, Nuttall asks if he can borrow $20 until the next day so he can purchase some food.

On Thursday, the jury is expected to watch more video surveillance of the accused.

Testimony from the undercover officer, the Crown’s key witness, is expected to continue for a number of weeks.

OTTAWA — The RCMP watchdog says Mounties improperly took guns from flood-stricken homes in Alberta two years ago — seizures that angered High River residents and fostered mistrust of the national police force.

In a report released Thursday, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission blames the mistakes on poor leadership, lack of guidance, and failure to communicate with the public.

The RCMP had legal authority to forcibly enter evacuated homes during the natural disaster and even to seize loose firearms in plain view, the commission report says.

The Mounties say the guns could have posed a hazard, as there were reports of break-ins and thefts, and there were over 300 people — including one high-risk offender — who refused to evacuate.

Under the Criminal Code, such seizures did not require a court-approved warrant, but officers failed to take the necessary next step of reporting their actions to a judge.

In addition, RCMP members exceeded their authority by seizing some guns that were properly secured or that were not “in plain view,” the commission found.

“While RCMP members, acting on their own initiative and with little guidance, may have acted with public safety in mind, they nonetheless failed to comply with legal requirements concerning the seizure of firearms,” the report says.

“Had the RCMP reported their seizures to the court, it may have addressed many of the concerns and criticisms from residents, the media, and politicians.”

In June 2013, heavy rainfall caused the Highwood River to swell, uprooting trees and engulfing cars and homes. During the crisis, the RCMP, provincial and municipal police, the military, first responders and volunteers rescued some 800 people.

Lorraine Hjalte / Postmedia NewsEvacuees confront the RCMP in a bid to enter the Town of High River on June 27, 2013, one week after the Highwood River flooded.

Overall, emergency personnel, including the Mounties, did “a remarkable job” responding to this natural disaster in the initial days, the report says.

What should have been a story about heroic actions of many RCMP members during the devastating flood turned out to be “something far different” for the force, the commission notes.

Watchdog staff interviewed dozens of people and reviewed over 10,000 pages of documents, emails, notes and seizure logs, as well as more than 1,000 images and 50 videos.

The commission says RCMP leadership failed to adequately plan for communications with the public during the catastrophe, which prompted difficulties when word of the forced entries and seizures began circulating.

Jordan Verlage / Canadian PressRCMP officers wear protective masks to prevent toxic dust from entering their lungs in High River, Alberta on June 25, 2013.

“What we found was that, all too often, social media filled the gap that the communications people were unable to fill,” commission chairman Ian McPhail said in an interview.

“And in some instances contradictory or incomplete information was communicated to the public.”

The report makes several recommendations, including creation of:

— a national crisis communications handbook;

— guidelines on seizure of firearms, ammunition and contraband during disasters;

— special forms to ensure better note-taking about forced entries.

The commission will issue a final report once the RCMP responds.

McPhail said he would be surprised if the recommendations were not accepted and implemented.

“They’re all doable. They don’t require huge expense,” he said. “They simply require a more focused attention to how to respond to natural disaster situations.”

Federal officials have revoked the passport of an Iranian-trained Montreal imam once described by the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team as a “subject of interest in an ongoing investigation.”

Ali Sbeiti, who was born in Iraq but has been a Canadian citizen since 1991, was notified in a Nov. 19 letter that his passport had been “invalidated” and that Passport Canada was reviewing his “eligibility for passport services.”

The four-page letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada advised Mr. Sbeiti he could no longer use his passport and that he had to return it immediately. While it cited federal regulations, the letter did not explain why the action was taken.

But internal government documents show that the Mounties have expressed interest in Mr. Sbeiti since 2009. He was also flagged by the Passport Canada security bureau after he altered his passport by trying to remove a sticker from one of the pages in 2007.

Mr. Sbeiti could not be reached for comment. His lawyer Mitchell Goldberg said he could not comment on the specifics of the case but that anyone advocating hatred or violence, or supporting terrorism, should be criminally charged. “None of us would want our passports to be revoked without even the right to know what allegations are being made against us, and the basic opportunity to give our side of the story,” he said, adding that fundamental rights included “the right to hold unpopular views.”

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander’s spokesman, Kevin Menard, said he could not comment on specific cases but that the government “will not hesitate to take action to protect Canadians from the threat posed by jihadi terrorists.”

The case is spelled out in documents filed last week in the Federal Court of Canada, where Mr. Goldberg is arguing the government “erred in law” by revoking the cleric’s passport “and denying him passport services for an unspecified time.”

In his application, Mr. Goldberg claimed the decision violated Mr. Sbeiti’s mobility rights and was based on “erroneous findings of fact it made in a perverse and capricious manner.” Passport Canada also failed to observe procedural fairness, he said.

The case is the latest test of federal regulations that allow the government to revoke or refuse passports on several grounds, including if it is deemed “necessary for reasons of the national security of Canada or another country.”

A 46-year-old Shi’ite cleric, Mr. Sbeiti was born in Najaf, Iraq, and studied religion in Lebanon and Iran, according to the Centre Communautaire Musulman de Montreal website, which identifies him as its imam, although a person who answered the centre’s phone said he no longer worked there.

“He immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1988 and went back to Qom, Iran, to continue his religious studies. Few years after he came back to Canada to serve the community,” it said. He founded “associations and community centres all across Canada,” including in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, Edmonton and Vancouver, the CCMM biography said, adding he was an “active member of several committees and bodies involved in the community and religious activities across North America.”

WebSheikh Ali Sbeiti shown on his website

According to Quebec corporate records, Mr. Sbeiti is president of the Association El-Hidaya, a Montreal non-profit group founded in 1997. The association’s address, according to provincial records, is the same as that of the CCMM.

In 2006, he told a self-styled “People’s Committee on Immigration Security Measures” about “his personal and community experiences of harassment” by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Quebec activist group wrote in its report.

“He has been interviewed tens of times by CSIS (starting well before 11 September 2001), often for hours at a time,” and people who arrive in the country are regularly asked about him and whether they plan to attend his prayers; they are made to feel as though he is dangerous,” the committee’s report said.

Mr. Sbeiti “began having problems at airports” and complained about delays getting his boarding passes and being “asked to stand aside and wait while others were processed,” it said. “Eventually, he found out that he had been placed on the no fly list in the United States and that this was affecting him even when he was flying in Canada.”

When he tried to enter the United States, he was “arrested, handcuffed and put in a cell for six or seven hours” before being sent back to Canada, it said. “Next he was told by his bank that Canadian authorities wanted to make inquiries into his finances.”

‘He has been interviewed tens of times by CSIS (starting well before 11 September 2001), often for hours at a time’

His “Security Case History Sheet” at Passport Canada shows that in 2007 his passport was damaged when he tried to remove “a sticker.” He said it had happened in Saudi Arabia and denied he had attempted to remove a visa from his passport, which was later seized at Montreal’s Trudeau airport on the grounds it had been altered.

Two years later, on Aug. 31, 2009, the RCMP INSET in Montreal asked the passport office to “flag” Mr. Sbeiti since he was “of interest” to the section. The passport he used at that time had several entry and exit stamps from Lebanon, as well as an Iranian visa and indicates he had travelled to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

When Mr. Sbeiti applied for a new passport in 2012, INSET again told Passport Canada it was interested in him. “As previously discussed, we would like to obtain a copy of the subject’s passport application and any other information you have concerning his application. He is a subject of interest in an ongoing investigation,” Samuel Mikhail of the Montreal INSET wrote in a Sept. 5, 2012 email.

Despite the RCMP’s query, Passport Canada received “no response from law enforcement” and issued a new passport to Mr. Sbeiti two weeks later, allowing him to travel to Lebanon via Paris. An internal email said he was not to be told he was a subject of police interest.

Seven pages of Mr. Sbeiti’s Passport Canada file were blacked out before being placed in the court record. The government said it intended to challenge the disclosure of the information under the Canada Evidence Act.

Knowing that it can’t fight terrorism alone, the RCMP has reached out to Canada’s diverse communities — participated in Muslim youth forums, attended cultural events and dinners, even held yoga classes for women of different cultural backgrounds.

But is any of this feel-good community outreach working?

A report released Tuesday at a public safety conference in Ottawa suggests while the Mounties have made inroads, its outreach initiatives are “piecemeal and disjointed” and suffer from a “lack of a clear overall strategy.”

HandoutCharlie Edwards, lead author of a study on RCMP’s community outreach efforts.

Some community members remain suspicious when police show up at gatherings, according to the report by researchers at the Royal United Services Institute, a British defence and security think tank.

Even Mounties are confused as to what the overall aims of community outreach are: is it to project a smiling face and inform people what the RCMP does or is it to collect hard intelligence? Should success be measured by the number of cultural events attended or the number of leads generated?

What’s not helping, one Mountie told the authors, is that some CSIS intelligence agents are using the RCMP “brand” to gain access to community members, further hindering trust-building efforts.

Lead author Charlie Edwards said the allegation has not been substantiated but was included in the report to reflect the fear among some RCMP members that the “firewall” between community outreach and intelligence gathering may be “difficult to maintain.”

A CSIS spokeswoman said agents do not pass themselves off as RCMP.

“I see no value,” added Ray Boisvert, a former CSIS assistant director. “CSIS officers have developed their own unique narrative to approach and engage people.”

An RCMP spokesman said the force was still reviewing the report’s findings and unable to comment.

The study, which received funding from the Canadian government, wasn’t all bad news. The RCMP’s outreach to the Muslim community around the time of the arrests of two men for allegedly plotting to derail a Via passenger train in Ontario was “universally hailed” as a great success, the study reported.

‘It was seen as a trust-building exercise designed to assure the community that it was the criminal ‘activity’ being targeted rather than the community itself’

Before the arrests were made public in April 2013, the RCMP convened Muslim community leaders from Montreal, where one of the suspects lived, to brief them on the case and answer questions.

“From the RCMP’s point of view, it was seen as a trust-building exercise designed to assure the community that it was the criminal ‘activity’ being targeted rather than the community itself,” the report said.

RCMP outreach officers have also participated in town halls with other public safety officials from CSIS and the Canada Border Services Agency. One of the more “out of the box” ideas the RCMP has tried is holding yoga classes in Toronto to try to engage ethnically diverse women.

According to the RCMP website, the program has attracted women of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali, Indian and Chinese descent.

“In addition, there (were) a number of Muslim women in attendance, most of whom maintained their hijabs throughout the class and were quite comfortable with police presence,” the website states.

Sureya Ibrahim, community engagement worker at Toronto’s Centre for Community Learning and Development, said the outreach events have helped to improve relations between new immigrants and public safety officials.

“Most of the time when immigrants arrive they don’t know their rights and responsibilities. We have a lot of Muslims in this neighbourhood,” she said. “We never thought we could be asking questions that openly.”

Ms. Ibrahim, who used to have her own fears of approaching police, said she now routinely invites them to attend holiday celebrations and other events.

But obstacles remain, the study’s authors said.

While one of the aims of community outreach is to encourage the public to report suspicious activity, there is also the risk that community members will feel they are being spied upon. RCMP members admitted that they are often asked, “Why are you here?”

While RCMP outreach officers expressed the view that there should be a wall between community engagement and intelligence gathering, “this was not the view held by many investigative officers, who saw outreach as valuable not only in providing a ‘temperature reading’ of communities, but also as a tool for generating leads.”

Some community leaders complained that the RCMP spends too much time reaching out to religious leaders, while neglecting other voices. They also said the RCMP needs to do more than show up at events and sample “cultural food,” but also work at hiring more minorities.

Because community engagement isn’t perceived as having the same “glory” as making high-profile arrests, the RCMP also faces a challenge of making outreach an attractive field in which to work, the report said.

An “organized network associated with ISIS” was disrupted by the RCMP on Tuesday with the arrest of an Ottawa man allegedly involved in financing the travel of recruits and charges against two of his associates, who remain abroad.

FacebookA photo of Awso Peshdary from his Facebook page.

Awso Peshdary, 25, was charged with three terrorism counts for allegedly conspiring with John Maguire, 24, to send Canadians to Syria to join ISIS. Among them was allegedly Khadar Khalib, 23, who traveled to the region last year.

“Our evidence shows that these individuals conspired to participate in or contribute to the activity of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS,” Assistant Commissioner James Malizia told reporters at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa.

The charges followed an “extensive and complex” investigation dubbed Project Servant, conducted by the RCMP’s Integrated National security Enforcement Team, with “important leads” provided by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

But only Mr. Peshdary is in custody. Mr. Maguire left Canada in late 2012 and became an ISIS fighter, while Mr. Khalib did the same months later. Mr. Maguire was reportedly killed in Syria last month but police said that remained unconfirmed.

Handout / RCMPAwso Peshdary.

“As these two individuals remain at large, arrest warrants have been obtained and a notice will be issued through Interpol,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said. “We continue to work actively with our domestic and international partners to return Khalib and Maguire to Canada to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

The charges are the first in Canada related to a facilitation network alleged to have been helping send foreign fighters to ISIS. “Peshdary provided financial support to facilitate the travel to ISIS. And the others travelled abroad to become members of ISIS,” Comm. Malizia said.

Police said a “spin-off” of the investigation had resulted in the arrests of three other Ottawa men in January. Twins Ashton and Carlos Larmond, both 24, and Suliman Mohamed, 21, all face terrorism charges as a result of the “parallel” investigation.

After Project Servant began in January 2013, “another network began to unfold,” the RCMP said. “And due to imminent travel we were forced … to affect arrests.” Carlos Larmond was arrested as he was about to board a plane at Montreal airport.

RCMPA photo Khadar Khalib released by the RCMP on Tuesday as part of an extensive national security criminal investigation.

A big box store employee, Mr. Peshdary was charged with participation in the activity of a terrorist group and facilitating an activity for a terrorist group. Along with the other two, he also faces a charge of conspiring to participate or contribute to an activity of a terror group.

“I think we have to be wary of these individuals, who based on previous accusation of terrorism, may develop a kind of street cred with the newer generation,” said Amarnath Amarasingam, a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University’s Resilience Research Centre. “They can use the fact that they were under investigation and under surveillance as leverage to inspire others.”

Mr. Peshdary has long been on the radar of counter-terrorism authorities. In 2009, he was the subject of a CSIS investigation into a Canadian terrorist group whose leader had trained in Afghanistan and had plotted bomb attacks in Canada.

Court documents alleged that Mr. Peshdary, an Iraq-born naturalized Canadian citizen, had been looking for a gun and was attempting to raise money so he could leave Canada to engage in jihad. But he was exposed by an informant.

Handout / SITEJohn Maguire's mother says her son left for Syria four months after he converted to Islam in August of 2012. He was reportedly killed while fighting with ISIS in Kobani.

Although Mr. Peshdary was arrested in August 2010 following an RCMP counter-terrorism probe called Project Samossa, he was quickly released. Two of his associates, Heva Alizadeh and Misbahuddin Ahmed, were convicted last year.

More recently, he has been active in the Algonquin College Muslim Student’s Association, speaking at the 2014 campus Islam Awareness Week, and writing on his Facebook page about what he considered the mistreatment of Canadian Muslims.

The charges were the first indication he was connected to Mr. Maguire, a native of Kemptville, Ont., and Muslim convert who was featured in an ISIS video that explicitly called for terrorist attacks in Canada. In remarks that were widely denounced by Canadian Muslim groups, he said that “waging jihad” against the West was “a religious obligation binding upon every Muslim.”

“While many in the Islamic State openly tweeted the death of John Maguire, it is clear that the Canadian government is less than sure,” said Mr. Amarasingam, who is conducting a study of Canadian foreign fighters. “There seems to be a persistent, and probably worthwhile, fear among Canadian law enforcement, that these guys could fake their own deaths, sneak back into the country under a fake passport, and launch Paris-style attacks in Canada.

Following the Oct. 20 and 22 killings of Canadian Forces members by suspects espousing Islamic extremist beliefs, as well as subsequent deadly violence in Australia and Paris, counter-terrorism officials have been pushing to prevent further attacks.

The CSIS Director, Michel Coulombe, said in a statement Friday that since the murders in Ottawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu “the threat has accelerated as extremist groups call for additional attacks on Canada. Not only have Canadian extremists begun to play a central role in terrorist propaganda but some are assuming leadership roles in terrorist groups.”

According to the latest government figures to be publicly released, about 130 Canadians are active in armed Islamist terrorist groups around the world, including in Syria and Iraq. Another 80 have returned to Canada after taking part in Islamist extremist activities.

To prevent them from leaving, the RCMP has been heading an inter-agency High Risk Travellers program that attempts to identify extremists and prevent them from leaving Canada by seizing their passports or putting them on no-fly lists.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney commended the RCMP and CSIS for the case. “Their diligence and dedication serve to protect Canadians from those who wish to cause harm and threaten our freedom,” he said. The charges came four days after the government introduced new counter-terrorism legislation that would give security agencies new powers to disrupt terror plots and make arrests.

Three Ottawa men, including one who may have already been killed overseas while fighting alongside militants in the Middle East, are facing terror-related charges in Canada, police say.

John Maguire, 24, rose to prominence last year when he appeared in an extremist recruiting video that urged Muslims to launch attacks against Canadians.

Police have also arrested and charged Awso Peshdary, 25, and have charged Khadar Khalib, 23, who is also believed to be fighting abroad with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Police say all three are facing charges of conspiring to participate or to contribute in an activity of a terrorist group, while Peshdary has been charged with participation in the activity of a terrorist group and facilitating an activity for a terrorist group.

Khalib has been charged with leaving Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group, and with counseling a person to participate in an activity of a terrorist group. Maguire is also charged with facilitating an activity for a terrorist group.

RCMPA photo Khadar Khalib released by the RCMP on Tuesday as part of an extensive national security criminal investigation.

Police are acknowledging recent media reports indicating Maguire has been killed in Syria, but say they lack any “conclusive evidence confirming that he is deceased.”

“These charges speak to our ability to tackle a threat that is multifaceted and constantly evolving,” assistant RCMP commissioner James Malizia said in a statement.

“Through collaborative efforts with our partners, we were able to disrupt an organized network associated with (ISIL). This network was involved in recruiting individuals for terrorism purposes and in sending them into Syria and Iraq for the benefit of this terrorist group.”

Re: Why A Cop Killer Was Free, Christie Blatchford, Jan. 22.In the rush to identify a scapegoat in the aftermath of the shootings of Mounties David Wynn and Derek Bond, it is important to remember one critical fact: In our criminal justice system, the presumption of innocence is not just a concept, it has fundamental meaning and a distinct purpose.

In spite of what individuals may have done in the past, when they are charged with a criminal offence, it is presumed that they are not guilty. They may, in fact, be not guilty. We save the punishment and consequences, if they are to be meted out, for the end of the case, after the accused person and society have had the benefit of a fair trial, and with the accompanying protections that we have rightly insisted on in a free, democratic and just society. These are the protections that you expect, and should expect, if you find yourself or find your son, daughter, brother, or close friend facing a criminal charge. These are the protections that are necessary if we are to live under the rule of law.

Ms. Blatchford’s personal criticism of the justice of the peace who endorsed Rehn’s release was completely unfair and gratuitous. Thousands of people with criminal records such as Rehn’s are safely released on bail every year in Canada. The likelihood that one of them will kill a police officer is incredibly remote. To now blame those who were involved in releasing Rehn serves no valid purpose. It risks compounding a tragedy by misunderstanding and negating the protections that are essential if we are to live in a just, albeit imperfect, society.Deborah R. Hatch and Brian Hurley, Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Edmonton.

Face up to realities of war

Re: We Are The Target, Conrad Black, Jan. 24One has to wonder if Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair, in their rhetorical pursuit of Prime Minister Stephen Harper over “mission creep” in the necessary military mission against ISIS, are aware of the central reality of warfare. This reality is you never, ever, tell your enemy anything about your war plans. You keep him guessing and off-guard. You do this to protect your forces and to protect civilians, as well as to achieve victory.

Ergo, Mr. Harper should refuse publicly to discuss Canada’s strategy and tactics, but offer confidential briefings to Messrs Trudeau and Mulcair after swearing them in as members of the Privy Council. I am sure that Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower would endorse my recommendation; the notion of them telling Hitler their plans for winning the Second World War would have been unthinkable.Raymond Heard, Toronto.

This is not to disagree with Conrad Black about the main thrust of his piece. However, it is the second time I found he refers to “shabby treatment” of “Muslims who had been loyal to France in the Algerian War.” I have to respectfully disagree as this is historically inaccurate.

I was a refugee in France, albeit from behind Iron Curtain just a few years after the end of the Algerian War. Paris was full of pieds noirs, a term loosely coined to describe all refugees, Christian, Jewish and Muslim from that war. By that time, while still poor, they were integrated in the French society and one could easily see a marabou (a Muslim holy man) alongside an orthodox Jew on the streets of Paris as a matter of daily routine. These were political refugees, they felt French. They had no trouble assimilating, except the usual difficulties most of refugees have.

However, immigration in the 1970s-1990s from Algeria and African former colonies was purely economic. These Muslims came demanding, bitter and entitled. The French took a long time to understand they were not as easy to assimilate as the pieds noirs.Alec Bialski, Calgary.

Islam more than its scripture

Re: Examining Islam, letter to the editor, Jan. 24.
Letter-writer Jonathan Usher’s seeming rejection of the Qur’an (Letters, Jan. 24) because of some suras in it, looks like a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, the Qur’an has problematic passages, but it remains the basis of belief and the foundation of faith for a billion-plus people. It inspired tolerant, inquiring and prosperous cultures like Muslim Spain in the past — cultures where original ideas and transmitted truths were passed on to us and are part of our heritage today.

Isolating passages does not do justice to the whole of any scripture. One must look at context and circumstance. Fanaticism has a flair for fine-tuning specifics but ends up with a bunch of trees instead of a forest. Thus, interfaith understanding requires seeing the Qur’an through Islam, more than Islam through the Qur’an. Islam, like every world religion, is more than its scripture.Doug A. Couper, Milton, Ont.

Need to raise public awareness

Re: Keeping Dementia Sufferers Off The Street, editorial, Jan. 25As the primary caregiver for my 83-year-old father with Alzheimer’s, who is in great physical shape and walks in excess of five kilometres per day, I was at my wit’s end ‎the first time he wandered off.

I hired a daytime nanny/caregiver, who started walking with him. I purchased a senior friendly cellphone and tied it to his house key. I also bought a GPS tracking system I put in the pouch with the cellphone and key so I could set a parameter and receive text messages and emails notifying me if he wandered outside it.

Unfortunately, no matter how much of a comprehensive system I put in place, it is only as good as its weakest link — my father. Nonetheless, it has allowed him semi-independence and physical activity.

The police and emergency services are already well versed in the complexities of dementia. Perhaps public awareness promotion programs would be a better approach for public resources rather than Silver Advisory systems.Gordon Akum, Toronto.

Truest believers

Re: Medical Beliefs, letter to the editor, Jan. 21.I was quite stunned to read Rev. W. Scott Plavnick’s letter to the editor. Fact is the Jehovah Witness faith is not based on any extreme interpretation of the Bible. Also, his assertion about members not being true Christians is so false as they are really the only true Christians on the planet. The true tenet of Christianity is that Jesus is the Son of God, not God, and certainly the Messiah. Says so in the Bible, many times over. The Jehovah Witness faith follows the teaching of the Bible, rather than any watered-down, made for modern times version.Dennis Stepaniuk, Surrey, B.C.

Penalizing alcoholics

Re: ‘They Killed My Husband,’ Jan. 23.The sobriety rule imposed on Mark Selkirk in ruling him out for a liver transplant clearly discriminates against alcoholics and is arbitrary. As the article states, such rules do not apply to others with self-inflicted diseases. What is “self-inflicted” and what is not is besides a dubious distinction. How can we know enough about a person’s history to make it? Selkirk died because of prejudice against alcoholics.John Rowell, Nelson, B.C.

RCMP Const. David Wynn would want us to follow our hearts, do the things we love and continue finding joy in life, said his sister Mona Wynn in her eulogy at his regimental funeral in St. Albert on Monday.

“David would want us to forgive. He was a peaceful man,” she said in front of thousands of RCMP officers and first responders who gathered to pay their respects to the 42-year-old husband and father of three who was gunned down on the job.

“We have lost something precious to us,” she said. “We will miss you, Dave, but our love for you will last forever.”

As the service came to a close, Wynn’s widow Shelly MacInnis-Wynn clutched a Canadian flag against her chest with one hand.

The arena fell silent as the RCMP pallbearers carried Wynn’s casket, draped in a Canadian flag, into Servus Credit Union Place Monday afternoon. They carried it toward the stage where Wynn’s polished boots sat surrounded by flowers. His family sat in the front row. Relatives and colleagues shared stories and memories about Wynn, recalling his love of Red Rose tea and his Maritime sense of humour.

While Wynn was in hospital, his son Matthew played the famous Beatles song Blackbird over and over again. His father had been teaching him how to play it on guitar.

On Monday, that song was played as part of a memorial video.

More than 7,500 people assembled in the building to watch the proceedings, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Jim Prentice.

Before the funeral, thousands of RCMP officers dressed in the formal red serge uniform, firefighters and paramedics from across North America marched behind a hearse carrying Wynn’s body during a procession through the city’s streets.

“I think it’s amazing that these officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect us,” said Jackie Heitzman, one of many residents who lined the route holding a Canadian flag.

“It’s prudent and a civic duty to pay our respects here for a man who died in the line of duty.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason FransonA photo of slain RCMP Constable David Wynn stands amongst flowers during his funeral procession in St. Albert, Alta., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015.

Members from the Bridgewater Police in Nova Scotia, where Wynn worked as a paramedic from 1996 to 2009 before moving to St. Albert, also joined the march. Mona Wynn said her brother decided he wanted to be a paramedic after he suffered a near life-threatening car accident in Nova Scotia. He was committed to helping people and contributing to his community, she said.

The sidewalks filled with people dressed in red, holding Canadian flags. White ribbons and signs tied to trees showed a community in mourning.

Two young boys standing on the sidewalk held a sign that said: “No greater love than to give one’s life for another.”

Local schools also took a break from class Monday morning to line the sidewalks of St. Albert and pay their respects. One young class held signs with the Canadian flag drawn inside a heart.

A long line formed three hours before the funeral. As guests entered Servus Place, they were greeted by violin music and handed white ribbons.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason FransonThe casket of slain RCMP Constable David Wynn is carried into funeral in St. Albert, Alta., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015.

The Rankins, Wynn’s favourite band from his home province, performed the song Bells and country musician Paul Brandt performed Amazing Grace. The crowd heard that Wynn embraced country music when he moved to the prairies from the Maritimes.

Nearly 100 people filed into the Arden Theatre at St. Albert City Hall to watch a livestream of the funeral. As the screen showed Const. Wynn’s casket being carried in, many people in the theatre wiped away tears.

Leone and Ron Eaton have lived in St. Albert for 40 years. While they watched the procession from home, they wanted to join their friends and neighbours at city hall for the funeral.

“We decided we wanted to be with everyone, with the community,” said Leone Eaton.

“As large as St. Albert has grown over the years, it has remained a very close-knit, family community.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason FransonMatthew Wynn, son of slain RCMP Constable David Wynn is handed his dad's hat from Deputy Commissioner Marianne Ryan, during the funeral procession for Constable Wynn, in St. Albert, Alta., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015.

Wynn was a member of the St. Albert detachment and a beloved liaison officer at a local elementary school. It was his first posting with the RCMP.

Wynn died Wednesday, four days after he and auxiliary Const. Derek Bond, 49, were shot inside the Apex Casino in St. Albert while investigating a stolen truck. Wynn never regained consciousness.

“David was an integral part of our community and today St. Albert has come to recognize that,” said St. Albert City Coun. Gilles Prefontaine.

A support fund has been set up for Wynn’s family and to provide assistance to Bond, who is recovering at home.

The Bond family expressed its deepest sympathy to the Wynn family in a statement last week.

“We are also extremely grateful for the messages and gestures of support we have received from the community. Derek’s recovery is progressing, but this remains a very difficult time for us.”

Greg Southam/Postmedia NewsRCMP officers take part in a regimental funeral for Const. David Wynn, 42, on Jan. 26, 2015 in St. Albert, Alta.

A regimental funeral is offered to the family when a loved one dies in the line of duty. The casket will be carried by the pallbearers from the RCMP and a Canadian flag is presented to the family of the victim.

A book of condolences was available Monday at the St. Albert RCMP detachment and Edmonton’s K Division Headquarters. Those wishing to send condolences electronically are being asked to email Condolences_Condoleances@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

People can also offer their condolences to the Wynn family at St. Albert City Hall. One book has already been filled with sympathies from the community.

Clayton Bell moved to St. Albert three years ago, and although he did not know the Wynns personally, he felt compelled to write a message in the book and thank the family for their sacrifice.

“We owe the Wynn family something. They’ve given so much for us,” Bell said. “If words of mine, or from the community, can be of any comfort to them, I will be grateful. It’s the best we can offer them.”

The Spouses of the RCMP Facebook group called for citizens across Canada to wear red on Monday to show support for Wynn’s family.

“The #WearRed campaign reminds us that RCMP members are someone’s spouse, parent, child, family member and friend. When a member of our RCMP family falls it touches the entire country,” the group said.

“Red, Canada and the RCMP are synonymous,” Mayor Nolan Crouse said Friday.

The House of Commons rose for a minute of silence Monday to commemorate Wynn.

I hate to rain on a good soft-on-crime panic in the making, and RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson was awfully impressive in his press conference in Edmonton on Sunday night, sort of a Julian Fantino with more gravitas — oh, all right, with some gravitas.

But whatever else the story of Shawn Rehn illustrates, it ain’t the failure of the criminal justice system.

Rather, its chief lesson appears to be — this will sound like heresy in the circumstances of this tragedy — that jail doesn’t work.

Rehn is the 34-year-old who shot and wounded two RCMP officers, one gravely, last Saturday morning.

The two were investigating a stolen car they found in a parking lot outside a casino in nearby St. Albert. They were trying to arrest Rehn when he pulled away and abruptly shot them both at close range, Constable David Wynn, a married father of three, in the head. He remains in hospital, but the RCMP have said he hasn’t regained consciousness and isn’t expected to survive.

The other officer, unarmed Auxiliary Constable Derek Bond, has been released from hospital after being treated for a gunshot wound to the arm and torso.

Commissioner Paulson questioned whether the justice system had dropped the ball at his press conference, saying that Rehn “represents a significant accumulation of criminality and behaviours that I think will require the RCMP and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system to examine very closely how it is this person was walking among us.

“There will be an in-depth analysis of how it is that this individual came to be free.”

He also described Rehn’s “complex criminal history” and the “labyrinth” of charges against him and at one point said, “I’ve been in policing for 30 years and I’ve not seen the likes of what I’ve seen here.”

The inference was clear: This Rehn character was a bad, bad man and if he’d been behind bars, where he ought to have been, this disaster wouldn’t have happened.

Having dropped this little bombshell, and with Rehn’s privacy rights as dead as he is (he was tracked later to an unoccupied house and found dead by his own hand), the commissioner and the force then, at least in public, washed its hands of the whole business.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason FransonShelly Wynn, wife of Constable David Wynn, gives an update on his condition in Edmonton, Atla., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015.

An RCMP media spokesman Monday told me he wasn’t able to release Rehn’s full criminal record because of confidentiality concerns. Commissioner Paulson was apparently en route back to Ottawa and unavailable.

Fortunately, some enterprising reporters in Edmonton (among them, one Joshua Skurnik, who passed it onto David Akin of Sun Media who posted it on Twitter) went to the courthouse and came up with what appears to be Rehn’s complete criminal record.

By my count, it has 59 convictions and 38 outstanding charges.

And contrary to the suggestion that Rehn was treated lightly by the system and given kiss after kiss, he did time — 60 days — the very first occasion he was convicted as an adult, for breaking and entering and theft. Then 19, he was also put on probation for a year and ordered to pay $921 in restitution.

Facebook[caption id="attachment_15445" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Majid Saeedi/Getty Images"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-15445 " title="Osama bin Laden (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)" src="http://nationalpostcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/binladen3.jpg?w=300&quot; alt="" width="210" height="158" />[/caption]
There have already been a number of writers tackling the tough question of what should be the proper Christian response to Osama bin Laden’s death. Most of this is tied up with the idea that Christians are taught to forgive everyone because Jesus forgave hanging from the cross in excruciating pain.
In fact, most of his ministry was about forgiveness. The Gospels are so challenging because forgiveness is the hardest thing to do.
Before going any further, I want to be clear that I am a Catholic Christian and I am glad Osama is dead. In fact I am thrilled he is dead. I am proud of the brave military men and women who killed him and have fought him and his legions for the past decade.<!--more-->
Many have been killed rooting out this scourge and on this day it is their souls that should concern Christians, not that of Bin Laden’s.
One of the great questions that Christians are often asked is this: Could you forgive Hitler? It could be replaced with: Could you forgive Pol Pot? Could you forgive Stalin?
Now we can add Bin Laden.
I used to worry about this because in my attempts to be devout I wanted to answer that I was prepared to forgive all. But then I finally had to be honest with myself and realized that I cannot forgive everyone. I am not God, nor Jesus — even though the call of the Christian is the imitation to Christ. But imitating Christ perfectly is impossible, for the obvious reasons that none of us is perfect.
Christians believe Christ was God incarnate — which makes him unique among all those who have ever walked the face of the Earth.
There are other issues, too. Who am I to forgive the evil any of these monsters have done to millions of innocent people? I used to read about how concentration camp prisoners during the Second World War came to a point where they could forgive their captors. I have no issue with that. If someone’s heart is that big then I would say they should be honored.
But I have never been in a concentration camp. I did not have relatives blown to bits in New York, London and Spain. I do not have sons or daughters in the military risking their lives to rid the world of fanatics.
I am not sure that anyone who has been so unfortunate to fall prey to the world’s monsters would want me showing forgiveness.
I simply do not have the moral right to forgive monsters.
But here is the thing. I also do not think it is necessary as a Christian to forgive Bin Laden or Hitler or even Clifford Olson for that matter. The call to forgive is big enough that it will never be completely fulfilled in this life. Instead, Christians who want to practice forgiveness should start with their neighbors, those who hurt them personally, the man or woman at work who gets on their nerves and anyone else you have had a bad encounter with. That is tough enough to do without worrying about forgiving Hitler, Stalin or Bin Laden.
I am content to let God deal with their immortal souls. I am sure he will figure it out.
In the meantime, I am thrilled Bin Laden is dead. I hope he suffers for all he has done. And if that makes me an imperfect Christian, I am okay with that. Join the club.
<em>National Post</em>
<em> clewis@nationalpost.com</em>
[np-related]<em>
</em>

On the next significant occasion, convicted for dangerous operation of a car, he got six months in jail and three years’ probation. The time after that, convicted for possession of stolen property, housebreaking and theft, obstructing police and breaching conditions, he was sentenced to at least five months in jail. (Some of his sentences may have been concurrent; it’s not clear.)

On his next serious raft of offences — assault with a weapon and careless use or storage of a firearm — Rehn spent seven months in pre-trial custody; this was when he got his 10-year firearms ban.

It’s clear that court orders meant squat to him: He regularly breached the conditions of his probation and various recognizances.

But in 2010, when he was convicted of breaching his 2001 firearms ban for the first time as well as a whack of other offences, he was sentenced to a total of five years in prison. With credit for pre-trial custody, that left three years.

His last conviction was for assault — it appears it may have been while he was still in jail and got him an extra day tacked onto his sentence.

Of the outstanding charges Rehn was facing at the time of his death, 13 were for breaches of earlier court orders.

Related

I don’t offer a defence of the man, who was pretty obviously a habitual offender, a serious thief (fully 33 of his convictions were for theft, B&E, or possession of stolen property or stolen credit cards) and a hazard on the roads (he had four driving while disqualified-type of convictions and incurred at least one driving prohibition). And he regularly gave the finger to the courts and their orders.

But it was hardly the case — at least from what I know, absent the RCMP’s formal release of convictions not available from the courts — that this was a man who was forever being cut a break by soft-hearted prosecutors and soft-headed judges. Nor does it appear that he was always such a violent, unpredictable character that he should have been declared either a dangerous or long-term offender years ago. (Both require showing a pattern of repetitive and aggressive behaviour, usually but not exclusively involving sexual or predatory violence.)

In total, in fact, Rehn received sentences that added up to about 10 years, in addition to the several times he spent significant stretches in pre-trial custody.

Short of preventative detention for all such rounders — and their numbers are, I’m afraid, legion; they really do walk among us, to borrow the commissioner’s phrase — I’m at a loss as to how Rehn could have been lawfully held in custody, let alone how the justice system screwed this up.

EDMONTON — RCMP say the suspect wanted in connection to a Saturday morning shooting inside a casino was found dead in an unoccupied house outside St. Albert.

Police orchestrated a major manhunt for the suspect after the casino shooting left one of two uniformed RCMP officers in “very grave” condition in hospital.

The public is no longer in danger after the man was located, an RCMP news release said. He was not shot by police, the RCMP said.

The update did not include any other new information about the suspect, including his identity or condition.

“Definitely we are very concerned for his survival,” Marlin Degrand, criminal operations officer with the RCMP in Alberta, said of Const. David Matthew Wynn, 42.

Wynn, who joined the RCMP in 2009, remains in grave condition in hospital. Degrand said Wynn was hit by one bullet but did not specify where in his body he was struck.

The second wounded officer is auxiliary Const. Derek Walter Bond, 49, who has worked as a volunteer with the RCMP since 2008. Bond was in serious but stable condition in hospital, and was released from hospital Saturday evening, RCMP said. Bond is an auxiliary officer, meaning he was unarmed.

Jason Franson / Canadian PressA helicopter assists police in the search for a suspect in the shooting of two RCMP officers in St. Albert, Alta., on Saturday.

The officers were shot around 3 a.m. inside the Apex Casino, 24 Boudreau Rd., while they were investigating a stolen vehicle located in the parking lot, St. Albert RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin DeGrand told a news conference.

The officers did not have a chance to return fire, DeGrand said. The suspect fled the scene.

RCMP are searching for a white man between 25 and 35 years old, wearing blue jeans and a two-toned striped blue jacket. The man is considered armed and dangerous.

DeGrand would not say how many shots were fired, what type of weapon was used, where in their bodies the officers were hit or the type of vehicle that was stolen.

He wouldn’t say how many people witnessed the shooting. The casino was open at the time.

RCMP had sought the suspect in the area of the Sturgeon Valley Golf Course east of St. Albert after some indications he was in the area.

“This is a dynamic and unfolding event as we speak,” DeGrand said at the morning news conference.

Jason Franson / Canadian Press

“This incident serves to remind us of the dangers that our front-line responders everywhere face in the performance of their duties. Our thoughts of course are with our injured officers, their loved ones and their colleagues who are courageously pursuing this investigation as we speak.”

Roads were blocked off around the Apex Casino. Police tape could be seen near the door. A helicopter was seen flying overhead near the golf course Saturday morning.

Canada's thoughts & prayers are with @RCMPAlberta officers today as they deal with an ongoing shooting investigation in the #StAlbert area.

A dark-coloured pickup truck had been abandoned in a ditch, Journal photographer Bruce Edwards said.

Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured officers and their families as they cope with this tragic event. This incident stands as yet another reminder to us all of the real and present dangers our police officers and peace officers face every single day as they work to keep our communities safe.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted: “Canada’s thoughts & prayers are with @RCMPAlberta officers today as they deal with an ongoing shooting investigation in the #StAlbert area.”

With files from the Canadian Press

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/17/st-albert-rcmp-searching-for-suspect-after-two-officers-shot-north-of-edmonton/feed/0stdMounties Shot 20150117Jason Franson / Canadian PressJason Franson / Canadian PressRCMP arrest Ottawa men for terror-related offences as they were about to leave the countryhttp://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/09/rcmp-arrest-ottawa-men-for-terror-related-offences-as-they-were-about-to-leave-the-ountry/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/09/rcmp-arrest-ottawa-men-for-terror-related-offences-as-they-were-about-to-leave-the-ountry/#commentsSat, 10 Jan 2015 03:42:24 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=568209

The RCMP’s anti-terror squad on Friday arrested and charged two Ottawa men with terror-related offences, one as he was boarding a plane.

Carlos Larmond, 24, was arrested at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport as he was intending to travel overseas for terrorist purposes, the RCMP said.

He has been charged with participation in the activity of a terrorist group and attempting to leave Canada to participate in terrorist activity abroad.

Ashton Carleton Larmond, 24, was arrested in Ottawa. He is charged with facilitating terrorist activity, participating in the activity of a terrorist group and instructing to carry out activity for a terrorist group.

The arrests were made by the RCMP Ottawa Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) with the help of Ottawa Police and the Ontario Provincial Police,.

Assistant Commissioner James Malizia, who is in charge of the RCMP’s Federal Policing Operations, said: “Today’s arrests speak to our ability to tackle a threat that is multifaceted and constantly evolving. Through collaborative efforts with our partners, we were able to prevent these individuals from leaving Canada to engage in terrorist activity overseas.”

VANCOUVER — The RCMP committed a “serious privacy breach” and broke federal privacy laws when it shared sensitive medical information about five of its officers while throwing accusations at their psychologist, according to a privacy commissioner’s report written last month and obtained by the National Post.

The five Mounties went to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada two years ago, after discovering the RCMP had submitted portions of their personal medical histories to the College of Psychologists of B.C.

The RCMP was at the time pursuing a formal complaint against B.C.-based psychologist Mike Webster, who was notoriously critical of the RCMP’s work environment and leadership. He described the RCMP’s top brass as bullies who would pressure sick Mounties back to work.

Dr. Webster had for decades treated Mounties suffering from such conditions as post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. A former Mountie himself — he quit just a few days into the job, after six months of training at the RCMP’s depot in Regina — he would come to describe the RCMP as “cultish,” “xenophobic” and “unhealthy.”

Such comments did not go over well with senior Mounties.

Webster would come to describe the RCMP as ‘cultish,’ ‘xenophobic’ and ‘unhealthy’

In August 2012, the RCMP informed Dr. Webster that it would no longer pay for psychological treatment he provided its officers. “Your lack of objectivity in both your clinical work and public commentary towards the RCMP have weakened your effectiveness in treating your RCMP client base,” the RCMP told Dr. Webster in a letter.

The same month, then-RCMP chief superintendent and human resources manager Brad Hartl initiated a complaint about Dr. Webster to the College of Psychologists of B.C., which regulates the psychology profession in the province.

The complaint alleged that Dr. Webster “lacked objectivity and sound professional judgment in his clinical work with RCMP members by advocating for organizational change in his treatment plans.” It claimed he had “referred to the RCMP in very derogatory terms in his public statements. These kinds of statements may be confusing and disturbing to his RCMP patients.”

Mr. Hartl attached to his complaint seven patient-progress reports made by Dr. Webster, regarding five RCMP patients for whom he provided psychological care.

The names of all five RCMP patients were redacted from the progress reports before their delivery to the college. After receiving the confidential documents, the college asked the RCMP for “complete” copies, according to investigators with the federal privacy office. The RCMP then forwarded the same seven progress reports to the college, this time with the names of the officers attached.

In March 2013, the College of Psychologists dismissed the RCMP’s complaint against Dr.Webster. But the matter wasn’t over. When the five RCMP officers learned that their health records had been shared with another party — without their permission — they complained to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in Ottawa.

According to a summary of their complaint, the five officers alleged the RCMP shared their progress reports “for the purpose of building its case against [Dr. Webster] without their knowledge or consent. None of the complainants have any interest in pursuing complaints against Dr. W. or participating in the RCMP’s complaint to the College [of Psychologists of B.C.],” the report added.

“Medical and mental-health information is particularly sensitive and access to it must be strictly controlled,” the privacy office wrote in its report of findings, which was completed last month. (The National Post obtained a copy of the report last week, and does not know the identities of the five officers whose privacy was violated. The officers were not reached for comment.)

The RCMP’s actions were “in contravention” of the federal Privacy Act, the report reads. “Given the sensitivity of the personal information at issue in this matter, we consider this to be a serious privacy breach.”

‘There’s still this great stigma put on Mounties who go and see a shrink, especially if word spreads through the executive levels and down through the ranks’

The privacy office recommended that the RCMP “provide all of its health services professionals in ‘E’ Division [which covers B.C.] with enhanced privacy training in order to ensure that they are aware of their obligations under the Act.”

In a written response to questions from the National Post, an RCMP spokesman acknowledged it had “contravened section 8 of the Privacy Act.” The RCMP has “reviewed the privacy office’s recommendations and advised RCMP staff accordingly,” he added, saying steps will be taken to ensure that future disclosures of personal information are done correctly.

The CPBC was less forthcoming in its response for this story, noting without irony that it “cannot comment on matters specific to any one complaint due to the confidentiality provisions of s. 53 of [B.C’s] Health Professions Act.”

For his part, Dr. Webster is now busy treating members of Canada’s armed forces at an air force base on Vancouver Island. He says he doesn’t miss working with the RCMP, but he worries about his former patients, particularly the five officers whose medical records were shared and whose privacy was violated.

“There’s still this great stigma put on Mounties who go and see a shrink, especially if word spreads through the executive levels and down through the ranks, which is what I fear may happen in this case. It should never have come to that,” he said.

An Ontario Superior Court judge is going to be asked to unseal court documents believed to contain allegations of leaks within the RCMP security unit that protects Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his family.

Documents were entered last week by lawyer John Phillips as part of a lawsuit brought by his client, Sgt. Peter Merrifield, who is suing the RCMP for harassment and bullying. Sgt. Merrifield alleges senior officers sidelined his career after he launched an unsuccessful bid to run for the federal Conservatives in Barrie in 2005.

FileSgt. Peter Merrifield, alleges senior RCMP officers sidelined his career after he launched an unsuccessful bid to run for the federal Conservatives in 2005.

Three media outlets — Postmedia, the CBC and Maclean’s — intend to make application to unseal the documents, which sources say include letters from private investigator Derrick Snowdy to the RCMP about information leaks within the PM’s detail.

Mr. Snowdy first came to public attention in 2010 when he had a role in making allegations about MP Helena Guergis and her husband. She was later cleared by the RCMP after being stripped of her cabinet seat and expelled from the Conservative caucus.

Lawyers for the federal Justice Department and Sgt. Merrifield declined to make any comment on the process surrounding the sealed documents, but sources say they were filed as part of a legal struggle over whether Mr. Snowdy can testify in support of Sgt. Merrifield.

Sources say the sealed affidavit is accompanied by four letters sent by Mr. Snowdy to assistant commissioner Stephen White, who serves directly under Commissioner Bob Paulson.

Those letters contain allegations about RCMP wrongdoing, alleging repeated information leaks that threaten the safety of confidential informants, and the leak of private information about the Harper family.

Mr. Snowdy declined to comment on the sealed affidavit on Monday.

“I am not a party or involved in the proceedings currently before the court in the matter,” he said. “I cannot offer any comment.”

He confirmed, though, that he had written to Mr. White to express concerns about the safety of confidential informants, and included information about evidence of a leak of information from the prime minister’s protective detail for security reasons.

‘The issues raised in the Sgt. Merrifield trial should be of great concern to all Canadians when it resumes in May 2015’

“The issues raised in the Sgt. Merrifield trial should be of great concern to all Canadians when it resumes in May 2015,” he said.

Jason MacDonald, a spokesman for the prime minister, said in an email, “While I haven’t seen the documents/allegations of leaks, I can tell you this: The prime minister has complete confidence in the RCMP and in the professionalism of the Protective Detail.”

Commissioner Paulson declined to comment on the affidavit. A spokesman said the RCMP would not comment on affidavits sealed by the court.

One information leak is alleged to have taken place in 2012, and is believed to be linked to a series of complaints and investigations that year, in what was a stressful period for the detail.

“I realized at that point we were leaking with a sieve,” said one RCMP officer, who spoke on condition that he not be named because he is not authorized to speak about the leak.

Sources say the circumstances under which RCMP officer Pierre Briere was transferred from the unit contributed to a tense workplace environment that resulted in a series of media leaks about the management style of RCMP Supt. Bruno Saccomani, the head of the unit.

‘I have reason to believe that great lengths were taken to investigate a leak of information from the prime minister’s protective detail’

RCMP officers on the unit provide 24/7 protection to members of the Harper family, both at the official residence in Ottawa, in their daily lives around the city, and on trips around Canada and abroad.

It is inevitable that members of the detail interact closely with the family, and they are sworn to protect the privacy of family members.

In 2012, members complained to RCMP management about Supt. Saccomani. He was criticized in a management-review report containing “disturbing” allegations of harassment and intimidation, which was leaked to Radio Canada in June of that year.

The report, dated Jan. 26, 2012, said that “the overwhelming majority of employees indicated that there are conflicts and perceived favoritism” in the unit. They complained of a “toxic” atmosphere, with inappropriately harsh reprimands. Members told the officers conducting the review that their fear of Supt. Saccomani “adds risk to the safety of the prime minister.”

Supt. Saccomani fought back at the charges. Officials in the prime minister’s office publicly praised his work modernizing and professionalizing the unit, and his deputy, Insp. Alain Petit, filed a request for an investigation under the Canada Labour Code, which was obtained by Postmedia News.

Insp. Petit wrote that Supt. Saccomani’s improvements to the unit were being resisted by some members, and that they had “placed the safety of the PMPD employees, and the prime minister and his family at risk.”

Insp. Petit complained that the leak of the management review “knowingly endangered all the PMPD members and the people we are dedicated to serve.”

As officials investigated the leak of that report, sources say they also looked into the leak alleged in the sealed affidavit.

“I have reason to believe that great lengths were taken to investigate a leak of information from the prime minister’s protective detail,” said an RCMP officer who spoke on condition that he not be identified.

Mr. Harper appointed Supt. Saccomani as ambassador to Jordan in 2013, which the NDP criticized as a patronage appointment.

Days after Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s attack on Parliament Hill, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson assured Parliament that Canadians would get to see the video he left behind, which apparently explains his motives. “It will certainly be released someday.… I am inclined to … get it released as soon as possible,” he told the Senate National Security Committee on Oct. 27. Just be patient, he advised. Police need to assess the video’s “intelligence and evidence” value before it sees the light of day.

It’s the sort of explanation Canadians are conditioned to nod along with whenever someone in power tells them — which is all too frequently — that they aren’t entitled to know something. Perhaps Zehaf-Bibeau had an accomplice. Perhaps the video could be used against him in court. What’s the rush?

It doesn’t make a lot of sense on its face: Had Zehaf-Bibeau posted his video on YouTube before his attack, would it now be of lesser intelligence or evidentiary value? And Mr. Paulson certainly hasn’t been shy about describing the contents of the video.

“He was quite deliberate, he was quite lucid. And he was quite purposeful in articulating the basis for his actions. And they were in respect, broadly, to Canada’s foreign policy and also in respect of his religious beliefs,” he told reporters. Why are we entitled to Mr. Paulson’s interpretation, but not to our own?

It’s frustrating. But we don’t know what we don’t know. Perhaps when we all finally see the tape, we’ll understand — or Mr. Paulson will explain to our satisfaction — why the RCMP had to hold off. At least we have Mr. Paulson’s firm commitment. Right, Mr. Paulson?

“I had said that I hoped to release the video, but I think it forms a central part of the evidence,” Mr. Paulson said, cryptically, at a press conference on Monday. “I think we need to think thoroughly through the benefits and the merits of releasing the video.… We may look at releasing some aspects of the transcript of the video. But I don’t know that we will be releasing the video.”

And there you have it. Try to act surprised.

Mr. Paulson’s partial flip-flop has not been universally well received, and rightly so. Opposition leader Thomas Mulcair has demanded, at minimum, an explanation. And the Toronto Star‘s Tim Harper politely called Mr. Paulson out in a column this week. “[He] has told us what’s on the video. We believe him,” Mr. Harper wrote. “But, just to be perfectly certain, let’s see it.”

There is nothing implausible about Mr. Paulson’s account. But considering the RCMP’s record when it comes to described video, I think Mr. Harper’s trust is misplaced. Seven years ago, when the RCMP finally released Paul Pritchard’s footage of Robert Dziekanski’s fatal encounter with police at the Vancouver airport, it wasn’t just the officers’ clearly excessive force that made headlines. It was also impossible not to notice some, shall we say, significant discrepancies between the RCMP’s previous account of the video and what was actually on it.

The RCMP said Mr. Dziekanski grabbed something from a desk before he was tasered. He didn’t. The RCMP said there were three officers involved. In fact there were four

The RCMP said the officers didn’t use pepper spray on Mr. Dziekanski because there were too many people around. In fact, they were alone behind Plexiglas. The RCMP said Mr. Dziekanski grabbed something from a desk before he was tasered. He didn’t. The RCMP said there were three officers involved. In fact there were four. The latter falsehood didn’t even seem to serve any purpose. It was as if making stuff up was just standard procedure.

It’s therefore entirely understandable that the missing video invites speculation. Some suspect the RCMP, the government or both want to promote the narrative Mr. Paulson described — a lucid, ideologically motivated gunman; i.e., a terrorist — the better to promote security legislation. Perhaps the video paints a more ambiguous picture. Perhaps it paints a totally different picture, the more conspiratorial will suggest — that of an unhinged, purposeless killer; i.e., not a terrorist.

It’s an infuriating debate, in many ways: Was Michael Zehaf-Bibeau a terrorist or not? Honestly, who cares? We know what he did. He seems to have left us video evidence of why he did it. Had he lived, he would be staring down a life sentence whether or not prosecutors managed to pin the T-word on him. And if there is an appropriate policy or legislative response, it ought to be a response to what he did and why he did it, regardless of whether his actions and motives tick enough boxes to invoke the big scary T-word.

The terrorist-or-not debate can be absurd enough when we have the facts. Without them, it’s even more so. We can’t trust the RCMP’s account of the video. We can’t trust parliamentarians to properly balance civil liberties and security even when the evidence before them is uncontested. There’s only one solution, and it’s an easy one: Release the damn video.

VANCOUVER — A 36-year-old convicted killer has been charged with the attempted murder of Kamloops Mountie Cpl. Jean Rene Michaud.

B.C.’s Criminal Justice Branch announced Thursday that Kenneth Knutson faces charges of attempted murder using a firearm, aggravated assault of a peace officer, possession of a firearm while prohibited, and discharging a firearm with intent to wound.

Mr. Knutson, who is well-known to police across the Lower Mainland, was to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.

The ex-convict allegedly shot Cpl. Michaud, who remains in critical condition, during a traffic stop at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. He was arrested after a massive search around Kamloops.

Mr. Knutson killed Christopher Lesniak in Coquitlam in March 2002. He was charged with second-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death, claiming his gun had accidentially fired at Mr. Lesniak, striking him in the chest.

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In January 2009, Mr. Knutson was convicted in Surrey on three firearms charges that stemmed from a police stop a year earlier.

On that occasion, after Surrey RCMP had pulled over Mr. Knutson and an associate, he had run and tossed his phone and a gun into a field before being apprehended.

Surrey Provincial Court Judge Jim Jardine had found that Mr. Knutson possessed a gun that “was loaded and cocked with one in the chamber.”

At the time, Mr. Knutson was on a lifetime firearms ban and was in a high-crime area of Surrey, Judge Jardine noted.

Discussing the incident this week, Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Cheryl Bush said investigators “have now seized the vehicle that was involved in the traffic stop at the time Cpl. Michaud was shot.”

“Police operations have continued since yesterday in the Bachelor Heights area at a residence on Raven Drive that the suspect is known to be associated with,” she said in a release.

Cpl. Bush said three women were also arrested in the investigation, but it is not known yet if they will face charges. “One of the females was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants,” she said.

“Cpl. Michaud remains in critical but stable condition in intensive care and is expected to undergo further surgery. The incredible amount of support being offered to Kamloops RCMP and Cpl. Michauds family is both overwhelming and heartwarming.”

During the incident, an officer in a backup vehicle exchanged gunfire with the suspect, injuring the suspect’s arm. The Independent Investigation Office was initially contacted about the shooting, but has now pulled out of the case and will leave the probe in the hands of the Mounties, Cpl. Bush said.

Kelly Kilpatrick of the Independent Investigations Office said staff have confirmed that the suspect was not seriously harmed.

A 15-year-old Montreal boy is facing terrorism charges after allegedly stealing undisclosed items on behalf of a terrorist organization.

The RCMP announced Wednesday night that the boy had appeared in a Montreal courtroom earlier in the day to face terrorism-related charges under the Criminal Code of Canada.

“The teenager is alleged to have committed robbery for the benefit of, or at the direction of, a terrorist group,” an RCMP statement said. “He was allegedly planning to leave Canada to engage in terrorist activity abroad.”

The teen is accused of robbing a Montreal store at knifepoint, CBC reports. He was allegedly going to use the money — about $2,200 was taken in the theft — for a plane ticket to join extremists abroad, the public broadcasters says.

Because the boy is underage, the he cannot be named. Given the age of the accused and the ongoing investigation, the RCMP said they could not comment further.

Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said in a statement that the RCMP continues to “tirelessly” pursue those who seek to participate in terrorist activities. He said the police force is determined to intervene to protect Canadians.

Threats to national security are continually evolving, presenting a challenge to government and law enforcement around the world.

Here in Canada, the radicalization of individuals to the point of violence continues to pose a significant challenge for Canadian law enforcement. The recent attacks in St Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and in Ottawa underscore the challenges as these horrific events are clear examples of just how suddenly these attacks can occur.

This is a reason why Canadians need to be aware of the threats that exist in Canada, as well as the threats posed abroad, which includes Canadians participating in terrorist activities in foreign conflict zones. A collective effort is needed across a range of Canadian agencies and departments, as well as within Canada’s diverse communities, to address this significant challenge.

The introduction of our RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams, also referred to as INSETs, following the events of Sept. 11, serves as an excellent example of this inter-agency co-operation. This was demonstrated earlier this year when the RCMP INSET in B.C. charged Hasibullah Yusufzai, a resident of Burnaby, for leaving Canada to take part in terrorist activity.

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The RCMP also has other initiatives in place, including our Critical Infrastructure Intelligence Team, which was formed to develop intelligence focused specifically on detecting and analyzing criminal threats to Canada’s critical infrastructure.

Our Counter-Terrorism Information Officer initiative is another example, as we provide first responders and front line officers with terrorism awareness training that draws upon expertise from various agencies within the national security community.

Still, we can’t effectively counter the threat of radicalization leading to violence through detection and disruption alone. This is why community engagement is so important. We are enhancing the long-standing relationships we have with Canadian communities and families, including diverse ethnic, cultural and religious communities. Which is why in B.C., groups like the RCMP’s Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee are so important to our collective efforts.

Our collective goal should be to prevent our youth and our citizens from engaging in violent extremism. Through community engagement and by building resilience against extremist ideology in individuals, families and communities, law enforcement officers can work with a variety of partner agencies to protect vulnerable individuals from taking the wrong path.

The RCMP has learned and continues to learn from terrorism events that have taken place both here and in other countries

In fact, any person can play a role in addressing the threat of radicalization to violence, since that person is often best positioned to identify changes in behaviour, thinking, lifestyle and habits of someone they know.

While prevention and deterrence achieved through informed counter narratives is our first objective, the RCMP have significant resources and expertise at our disposal to conduct operations against those who choose a criminal path.

The RCMP has learned and continues to learn from terrorism events that have taken place both here and in other countries. Protecting our country’s national security is a priority for the RCMP and in that we take terrorist threats and radicalization to violence very seriously. But it is also a shared responsibility. By working together and being forward looking, we can and will make the greatest impact in keeping Canadians safe.

Postmedia News

Assistant Commisioner Wayne Rideout is the Criminal Operations Officer in charge of Investigative Services and Organized Crime for the British Columbia RCMP.

WINDSOR, Ont. — Where is Mohammed El Shaer? His lawyer said he doesn’t know. Neither of the Windsor mosques he attended has seen him. Even his own family said they’re not sure. “I don’t know anything,” said a woman at the family home.

That could be a problem because Mr. El Shaer has been identified by the RCMP as one of the 90 “high-risk travellers” under investigation as part of a program set up to prevent radicalized Canadians from leaving to take part in violent extremism.

But he somehow left the country anyway.

On Wednesday, Mr. El Shaer failed to show up in a Windsor, Ont., courtroom to face a passport fraud charge. “I think he went out of the country and is unable to fly back,” his lawyer, Paul Esco, told the court. “He may be on a no-fly list.”

The judge pointed out that the Ontario Court of Justice had prohibited Mr. El Shaer from leaving the province. “If he left the country he’s in breach of the court order,” she said. The judge then issued a bench warrant for Mr. El Shaer’s arrest.

The 26-year-old Palestinian-Canadian was arrested June 23 after returning to Canada from Turkey, where he had allegedly made a false statement “for the purpose of procuring a passport for himself,” according to the charge.

Confirmation of his disappearance comes two weeks after another known high-risk traveller, Martin Couture Rouleau, who had also tried to leave for Syria, ran down two Canadian Forces members in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., killing Warrant Office Patrice Vincent.

“The RCMP is doing everything it can under its mandate to prevent individuals radicalized to violence from leaving the country,” Sgt. Greg Cox, an RCMP spokesman, said when asked how Mr. El Shaer had managed to evade police despite being flagged as a high-risk traveller.

Mr. El-Shaer appears to have been gone at least two weeks. He did not show up for his last court date, on Oct. 22, the day of the deadly attack in Ottawa, prompting the judge to order him to appear on Nov. 5. But several people who know him said they had not seen him for months.

Lawyer Patrick Ducharme, who had initially represented Mr. El Shaer, quit the case two weeks ago and said he did not know the whereabouts of his former client. His new lawyer, Mr. Esco, said he also did not know where Mr. El Shaer had gone or how he had travelled.

A woman who answered the phone at the family home in Windsor said she had no idea where Mr. El Shaer had gone or how long he had been away. “I don’t know where is Mohammed,” said his aunt, when contacted at a separate address.

Abdullah Mahmoud, the imam at the Al Hijra mosque, said he last saw Mr. El Shaer at a congregational prayer a few months ago. And Ronnie Haidar, spokesman for the nearby Windsor Mosque, said he also had no clue what had happened to him.

“I haven’t seen him for a while,” Mr. Haidar said. “He attended our prayers every now and again; the mosque is an open area of worship.”

He said there were never any concerns raised about Mr. El Shaer. “It’s unfortunate that this is happening.”

When the National Post first approached Mr. El Shaer in July, he declined to comment. “This is Mohamed El Shaer,” he said in a phone message. “I’m not sure why you want to speak to me, but I’m not interesting in speaking to you or the National Post so please don’t knock on my door again, I don’t appreciate it.”

The RCMP said 93 “extremist travellers” are under investigation. Their cases are handled by an RCMP-led interagency tactical group formed after young radicalized Canadians began committing acts of terrorism in such places as Algeria and Syria.

“The group will examine cases of extremist travellers and intervene in the most serious and urgent cases,” Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said on Oct. 8 in testimony before the Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

‘The RCMP is doing everything it can … to prevent individuals radicalized to violence from leaving the country’

The group meets every two weeks to “look for options to intervene with the high-risk travellers — folks who have not yet gone, folks who we’ve tried to work with, folks who maybe are approaching the criminal space and we haven’t got enough evidence to charge,” RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson testified at the same hearing.

As an alternative to charging them with terrorism offences, which are often difficult to prove, the RCMP has been seizing their passports and working with the Canada Border Services Agency and Passport Canada to charge them with passport offences instead. The tactic has resulted in three passport fraud convictions in Alberta this year. The remaining two cases, involving Mr. El Shaer and another Windsor resident, Ahmad Waseem, have not gone forward because the accused appear to have fled overseas.

“I think it’s mostly a resources issue for agencies like CSIS and RCMP,” said Amarnath Amarasingam, a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University’s Resilience Research Centre who has been studying Canadian foreign fighters.

“With dozens of individuals on their list, the agencies are simply stretched too thin. It can be easy for one of these guys to secure a fake passport and be out of the country before anyone notices.”

Sgt. Cox declined to discuss Mr. El-Shaer’s case, saying that “for privacy reasons and in order to not compromise the integrity of any possible ongoing investigations, we cannot comment on specific information about individuals who may have left the country to engage in terrorist activities overseas.”